Business Events Sarawak Create Reading Legacy in Sibujaya

From left to right: SK SibuJaya, Cr. Clarence Ting (Sibu_Municipal_Council), Amelia_Roziman (CEO BESarawak) and Cr. Raden Khairulzaman Raden Bustari (Sibu Municipal Council)

With a strong commitment to rural community development, BESarawak proudly donates 1,000 books to Sibu’s largest national school, SK Sibujaya, as part of the Books Build Legacy corporate social responsibility activity; an effort to build a reading legacy in remote communities under the Tribe Legacy Sarawak business events campaign.

Tribe Legacy Sarawak is a long-term campaign that seeks to foster collaborations with industries that bring increased value to business events. Books Build Legacy, a state-level corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme for business events, is the campaign’s humanitarian element providing associations, corporate companies and other business event planners with an avenue to make meaningful contributions to society while enhancing delegate experience and participation.

The donation is the largest since Books Build Legacy kickstarted this year. The book handover is organised in conjunction with the #TRIBESPIRIT team-building weekend, taking place on 4 November, which also serves as a product launch for Sibu’s corporate meetings and incentives market.

“Sibu is a rapidly developing city and to further stimulate economic and social development, we place a strong focus on schools, recognising them as the starting point for education and human development,” said Councillor Clarence Ting, Chairman of the Sibu Municipal Council and BESarawak Board Member. “Enhancing the academic performance in rural schools will provide our younger population the opportunity to succeed in life. The Sibu Municipal Council is very supportive of this and we have donated 300 books to the programme. This is an important legacy for Sibu and I encourage more business event planners to adopt ‘Books Build Legacy’ or create a similar impactful initiative for the community.”

Implementing a state-level CSR programme is a challenge which demands a proactive collaborative approach. “Tribe Legacy Sarawak has evolved into a dynamic networking platform that unites different groups from diverse sectors all sharing a common purpose,” said Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak. “The campaign strongly highlights that today’s business events are more than just doing events—they serve as a powerful platform for community engagement where legacies can be made. Business event planners will not only increase their overall event value by designing meaningful community programmes but can increase delegate participation.

For SK Sibujaya’s Principal, Janda Anak Minda, the books are a much-appreciated gift for the students. “Our students have a great appreciation for books. Teachers are also involved in business events, mostly as delegates, so we understand how important the industry is to society. Our students now have more access to reading materials and we believe they will be more motivated to do better in school.”

In 2023, Sibu has become an increasingly popular city for business events with an increase in its economic impact, delegate numbers and job opportunities by 102% since 2021. Sibu has generated approximately RM 61.7 million in total economic impact; RM 33.5 million in direct delegate expenditure and created 4,894 additional jobs for the city’s population.